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USA WC Roster

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John Flyers Fan said:
That's the problem with the US line of thinking. Trying to predict the future and give the job to one guy for the next decde or more.

The best US goalie today without question is Robert Esche. He was excellent in the World Cup, and outstanding in last years NHL playoffs. He'll be 28 and 32 for the next two Olympics, right in the prime of a goalies career.

The US shouldn't be trying to force anything, and just pick the best man for the job. If it's DiPietro, great, but if it's Esche or someone else they should be the man.

Why does DiPietro have to be "the man" .... it could very well be Esche, Esche and Montoya ..... or Esche, Dipietro, Motoya .... ithere is no reason one guy must be the "chosen" one.
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No one connected to team USA has declared DiPietro 'the Man'.He's was Esche's backup last Sept and he'll reportedly be Conklin's backup in this tournament.How exactly is that being 'the Man'?

I'm as surprised as you are that Esche was left off the team,but with 3 slots open, both Esche and DiPietro should have been named.At some point during the tournament,Waddell and Laviolette will be cornered by the media and have to explain why Esche was left off the roster.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=knight-eschepassedoverforteamusa&prov=knight&type=lgns
It is possible that Laviolette thinks Esche's outspokenness during the lockout gave him too high a profile.
 
ryanlambert said:
not for nothing, but if DiPietro is the goalie the US will be going with for ten years, then the US is screwed
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what NY lottery numbers do you see in your crystal ball ? :D
 
CREW99AW said:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=knight-eschepassedoverforteamusa&prov=knight&type=lgns
It is possible that Laviolette thinks Esche's outspokenness during the lockout gave him too high a profile.
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If he was left off because of his comments during the lockout. that's even more assinine.

Chelios has been the US Cpatain the last decade, and nobody has made dumber comments than Chelly. Also Hull & JR are as outspoken as they come, and have always been picked.
 
John Flyers Fan said:
If he was left off because of his comments during the lockout. that's even more assinine.

Chelios has been the US Cpatain the last decade, and nobody has made dumber comments than Chelly. Also Hull & JR are as outspoken as they come, and have always been picked.
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I've no idea why he was left off.The speculation from this article and unconfirmed fan comments about Esche having gained weight and being out of shape,are the only reasons I've come across to explain why he was left off the roster.

but the idea that Waddle,Pleau and Laviolette(none of whom work for the isles),are somehow declaring DiPietro 'the man' and giving him an undeserved backup spot is simply foolish.He played well in both the WC and the tournament that followed in Germany.
 
CREW99AW said:
but the idea that Waddle,Pleau and Laviolette(none of whom work for the isles),are somehow declaring DiPietro 'the man' and giving him an undeserved backup spot is simply foolish.He played well in both the WC and the tournament that followed in Germany.
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Esche and DiPietro should be the two givens on the US squad. As of today they're clearly the two best US goalies.
 
John Flyers Fan said:
That's the problem with the US line of thinking. Trying to predict the future and give the job to one guy for the next decde or more.

The best US goalie today without question is Robert Esche. He was excellent in the World Cup, and outstanding in last years NHL playoffs. He'll be 28 and 32 for the next two Olympics, right in the prime of a goalies career.

The US shouldn't be trying to force anything, and just pick the best man for the job. If it's DiPietro, great, but if it's Esche or someone else they should be the man.

Why does DiPietro have to be "the man" .... it could very well be Esche, Esche and Montoya ..... or Esche, Dipietro, Motoya .... ithere is no reason one guy must be the "chosen" one.
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I understand your position, and I can't deny Esche's status as the best American goaltender in the NHL right now, but there's clearly some important factors at work that prevented his being named to the team. The fact is, we have two able goaltenders in Conklin and DiPietro, and I think they'll be just fine.
 
John Flyers Fan said:
Esche and DiPietro should be the two givens on the US squad. As of today they're clearly the two best US goalies.
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There is no way Esche was going to be the number one goalie on this year's team. Say what you want about Ty Conklin, but he was great in last year's tournament and has been active in Europe this year. I think it's perfectly reasonable for him to be the starter with DiPietro the back-up (and Tim Thomas as the 3rd guy).
 
Just to pipe back in about DiPietro and Esche. Did anyone answer my question - has DiPietro played since the Fall tournaments? If Esche is out of shape that would be a reason to not name him to the team, but all of his comments imply that he was not even spoken to or asked about his fitness. All I am saying is that he deserved that courtesy before a decision was made. I think inviting both of them to a training camp may have been difficult, but perhaps some private work-outs could have been arranged.

It does not appear to me Conklin played much this year, but at least he did play. And I agree he did play in last season's World Championships, though he did not fare so well in the little play he got during the World Cup warm-ups. Thomas has played and played well this year and deserves an invite as a back-up. I am not a fan of DiPietro although he seems to be maturing a little bit. I support his being named to the team if Esche is out of shape, but I still think they should have spoken with Esche before making the decision. As others have mentioned here, he is only 27 or 28. I do not agree with those who think DiPietro is the de-facto USA goalie of the future. He will have some comptetition in the coming years.
 
Rabid Ranger said:
There is no way Esche was going to be the number one goalie on this year's team. Say what you want about Ty Conklin, but he was great in last year's tournament and has been active in Europe this year. I think it's perfectly reasonable for him to be the starter with DiPietro the back-up (and Tim Thomas as the 3rd guy).
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Quick question for you ..... is Conkin as good as either Esche or DiPietro ???
 
John Flyers Fan said:
Quick question for you ..... is Conkin as good as either Esche or DiPietro ???
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I would say that Esche and DiPietro are superior talents, but that's not the issue here. Conklin is in game shape and that is the reason he's the starter. If Robert Esche had been playing in Europe, even for ten games or so he'd be on the roster, probably as the starter. Instead, he was skating with Colgate, and it's just not the same.
 
sk84fun_dc said:
Just to pipe back in about DiPietro and Esche. Did anyone answer my question - has DiPietro played since the Fall tournaments? If Esche is out of shape that would be a reason to not name him to the team, but all of his comments imply that he was not even spoken to or asked about his fitness. All I am saying is that he deserved that courtesy before a decision was made. I think inviting both of them to a training camp may have been difficult, but perhaps some private work-outs could have been arranged.

It does not appear to me Conklin played much this year, but at least he did play. And I agree he did play in last season's World Championships, though he did not fare so well in the little play he got during the World Cup warm-ups. Thomas has played and played well this year and deserves an invite as a back-up. I am not a fan of DiPietro although he seems to be maturing a little bit. I support his being named to the team if Esche is out of shape, but I still think they should have spoken with Esche before making the decision. As others have mentioned here, he is only 27 or 28. I do not agree with those who think DiPietro is the de-facto USA goalie of the future. He will have some comptetition in the coming years.
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As a simple answer to your question: Yes, Robert Esche deserved at least a phone call explaining why he wasn't named to the team. Why that happened I don't know.
 
Rabid Ranger said:
I would say that Esche and DiPietro are superior talents, but that's not the issue here. Conklin is in game shape and that is the reason he's the starter. If Robert Esche had been playing in Europe, even for ten games or so he'd be on the roster, probably as the starter. Instead, he was skating with Colgate, and it's just not the same.
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Conklin has played 10 games., it's not like he has 40 games under his belt. All three should have been named to the team, and let the best man win the job. No reason for a started to be named before the team even gets together.

Canada doesn't seem to have any problem naming Brodeur its started without any game action.
 
mattihp said:
The americans should be happy that Andy Roach wasn't mad about not being invited to the world cup...
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Don't kid yourself, Andy Roach is tickled pink that he was named to the team.
 
John Flyers Fan said:
Conklin has played 10 games., it's not like he has 40 games under his belt. All three should have been named to the team, and let the best man win the job. No reason for a started to be named before the team even gets together.

Canada doesn't seem to have any problem naming Brodeur its started without any game action.
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Ten games is ten games. IMO, that makes a differance, and it's really irrelevant what Canada decided to do. The U.S. brass decided that a tandem of Conklin and DiPietro is the way to go, and clearly they have their reasons. We can second-guess those reasons, but until we're privy to what those reasons are, I at least have to assume they were for the good of the team.
 
Rabid Ranger said:
Ten games is ten games. IMO, that makes a differance, and it's really irrelevant what Canada decided to do. The U.S. brass decided that a tandem of Conklin and DiPietro is the way to go, and clearly they have their reasons. We can second-guess those reasons, but until we're privy to what those reasons are, I at least have to assume they were for the good of the team.
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Until I hear one good reason why Esche didn't receive a phone call, I'm under the assumption that Team USA ****ed up again.
 
John Flyers Fan said:
Canada doesn't seem to have any problem naming Brodeur its started without any game action.
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Yeah, and very stupid of them! It will cost them the championship! :)
 
John Flyers Fan said:
Until I hear one good reason why Esche didn't receive a phone call, I'm under the assumption that Team USA ****ed up again.
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When did they **** up before, the World Cup team? I think the U.S. brass made a concerted effort to change the face of the team, and did a nice job in the process. Robert Esche not being named to the team isn't going to change that. I agree that it was crass not to call him, but again, neither of us knows why that it is. Let's call it a dropped ball and move on.
 
Rabid Ranger said:
Don't kid yourself, Andy Roach is tickled pink that he was named to the team.
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Roach outplayed every other US defenseman in the world champs before world cup, including a couple of guys who made the world cup roster...
 
mattihp said:
Roach outplayed every other US defenseman in the world champs before world cup, including a couple of guys who made the world cup roster...
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I'm not doubting his ability, just that with this being a lock-out year, his inclusion on the team was far from a sure thing. It speaks highly of his ability.
 
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